Janie, it sounds like you & gf need recipe makeovers. Honestly you can eat what you love in sensible portions and still lose. Your secret weapons will be produce, water, water & a spice rack. Almost anytime you add produce to a recipe and keep the old portion size you drop calories. That holds true if you take a normally dry dish and turn it into soup or stew with a low calorie liquid like water or broth. The spice rack replaces the salt shaker & helps you shed water weight. Some spices boost metabolism and/or control blood sugar too.View Thread

Anna, while eating as healthfully as you can let your body be your guide. Say you normally feel energetic on 1500calories per day and don't have time for an extra workout, cut 100 calories for a week and monitor yourself. If you feel fatigued add 50 back. If you feel good drop 50 each week til you have side effects or hit 1200/day. If you are @ 1200/day and energized you need to move more or cut caffeine. You want to feel calm, happy and energetic enough to live but hyperactivity indicates calories that need to be cut or burnt.View Thread